Remembering 1996

soflagator

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Tons of great memories from that season. One of my worst decisions was opting out of going back to Atlanta and New Orleans.

On the tennessee game that year, whenever someone mentions the infamous GTech/Cumberland game, I immediately envision the first 20-30 minutes of that day in Knoxville. It had to look something like that. Never watched a game between two top teams be over within minutes. If you add in ‘94, we outscored them 66-0 through nearly 6 quarters in their house. So 100k people had to watch nearly 70 points straight by is in two games. Brutal.
 

78

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God, those were the days. You made damn sure you were at the stadium or in front of the TV early before the fireworks began because the second halves were snoozefests by virtue of the first-half blowouts.

Most telling about that era? Three different defensive coordinators before Spurrier found the one that got us over the hump. He didn’t dump Bob Pruett after ‘95; Pruett left to succeed Jim Donnan at Marshall, the latter of whom promptly became SOS’ whipping boy at Georgia. But it nonetheless led to Bob Stoops and one of, if not the, best Florida defenses ever.

Meyer’s run was tense, at times awkward and highly rewarding. Spurrier’s was simply sublime.
 
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Gatordiddy

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fsu - Part I

"Just anything to get another chance at those guys," Hilliard said. "It still pisses me the f--- off that we lost that game."

I was at that game at the erector set - it was a miserable game to say the least.
It was also a long walk back to my Mom's house down Pensacola street - getting crap thrown at us from car windows.
We ducked into a Wendy's to get out of the line of fire, but it wasn't a much better atmosphere in there.
Doubly sweet to beat their sorry asses a couple months later.
 

Swamp Donkey

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Most telling about that era? Three different defensive coordinators before Spurrier found the one that got us over the hump. He didn’t dump Bob Pruett after ‘95;
Yeah Pruitt was actually at Marshall all of December, recruiting (including Randy Moss and Erik Kresser) and preparing them.

There was some argument over whether he should even be allowed to come back for the bowl, and claim the bowl bonus. Coaches didn't get paid like they do today, and I guess the bonus was significant to him.

Zook was actually acting DC during bowl prep and made the game plan, if that wasn't obvious just from watching the game. He apparently did not know you have to cover both the quarterback and the pitch man on the option.

Not sure if Pruitt would have been any better, his career was also marked with some pretty below average defenses, including the Choke at Doak.

They actually named Zook the defensive coordinator after Pruitt left, which made my head explode, then Zook left for the Saints, I think it was, just a few days later. Fooley tried so hard to protect his clueless buddy. Fooley has always been attracted to idiots.
 

78

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Yeah Pruitt was actually at Marshall all of December, recruiting (including Randy Moss and Erik Kresser) and preparing them.

There was some argument over whether he should even be allowed to come back for the bowl, and claim the bowl bonus. Coaches didn't get paid like they do today, and I guess the bonus was significant to him.

Zook was actually acting DC during bowl prep and made the game plan, if that wasn't obvious just from watching the game. He apparently did not know you have to cover both the quarterback and the pitch man on the option.

Not sure if Pruitt would have been any better, his career was also marked with some pretty below average defenses, including the Choke at Doak.

They actually named Zook the defensive coordinator after Pruitt left, which made my head explode, then Zook left for the Saints, I think it was, just a few days later. Fooley tried so hard to protect his clueless buddy. Fooley has always been attracted to idiots.

Explode is what my head did when I heard that Foley’s plane was headed for New Orleans after the stop in Denver.
 

PhD Gator

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The 1996 year was definitely special. I was 14 and had definitely crossed over in to "die-hard Gator" status.

My uncle got four tickets for both the SEC Championship and the National Championship game. I got to go to both alongside my mom, uncle and cousin and those are memories that will last a lifetime.

I can still remember leaving the SuperDome in New Orleans chanting "It's Great to be a Florida Gator" at the most absurd volume my lungs could handle. At the time, the chant didn't mean quite the same thing to me that it does now, but I can still remember feeling like that moment was heaven on earth.

A different, but related story. Danny Wuerffel will forever be my favorite athlete of all time. Partly because of what he did on the field during that season and the rest of his time at UF. But even more because of the person is he was and still is. I went to a Gator basketball game with my uncle and cousin while Danny was playing at UF. Again, I was early teens and just a hardcore Gator fan. I was wearing my #7 Gator football jersey at the game. My cousin spotted Danny sitting in the crowd and said I should go over to see if he would sign it. He pointed to where Danny was, but I couldn't spot him, so my cousin walked me along the walkway between the lower bowl and the upper bowl and we stopped at the section Danny was sitting in. My cousin pointed up to Danny to show me where he was and Danny saw me wearing his jersey with my cousin next to me pointing up at him. So, what does Danny do?? He stands up from his seat and waves me up to him. It was like a kid meeting Batman to me, I was blown away. But rather than just signing my jersey, he asked his buddy if he would mind if I sat in his seat for a few minutes, so his buddy goes to concessions or something and I get to sit down. He took the time to have a genuine conversation with me and ask about me. To be in the position he was in and make that happen for me was something I will never forget. Such a special moment and something very few people of fame would do. For all of the great players we have had in the history of the university, I hope Danny is always remembered as an all-time great, not only for his play but also as a human being.
 

Swamp Donkey

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:TearsInMyEyes: with both Danny and Tebow, we've been incredibly blessed.
 

gingerlover

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The 1996 year was definitely special. I was 14 and had definitely crossed over in to "die-hard Gator" status.

My uncle got four tickets for both the SEC Championship and the National Championship game. I got to go to both alongside my mom, uncle and cousin and those are memories that will last a lifetime.

I can still remember leaving the SuperDome in New Orleans chanting "It's Great to be a Florida Gator" at the most absurd volume my lungs could handle. At the time, the chant didn't mean quite the same thing to me that it does now, but I can still remember feeling like that moment was heaven on earth.

A different, but related story. Danny Wuerffel will forever be my favorite athlete of all time. Partly because of what he did on the field during that season and the rest of his time at UF. But even more because of the person is he was and still is. I went to a Gator basketball game with my uncle and cousin while Danny was playing at UF. Again, I was early teens and just a hardcore Gator fan. I was wearing my #7 Gator football jersey at the game. My cousin spotted Danny sitting in the crowd and said I should go over to see if he would sign it. He pointed to where Danny was, but I couldn't spot him, so my cousin walked me along the walkway between the lower bowl and the upper bowl and we stopped at the section Danny was sitting in. My cousin pointed up to Danny to show me where he was and Danny saw me wearing his jersey with my cousin next to me pointing up at him. So, what does Danny do?? He stands up from his seat and waves me up to him. It was like a kid meeting Batman to me, I was blown away. But rather than just signing my jersey, he asked his buddy if he would mind if I sat in his seat for a few minutes, so his buddy goes to concessions or something and I get to sit down. He took the time to have a genuine conversation with me and ask about me. To be in the position he was in and make that happen for me was something I will never forget. Such a special moment and something very few people of fame would do. For all of the great players we have had in the history of the university, I hope Danny is always remembered as an all-time great, not only for his play but also as a human being.
I have never been an autograph guy, but man when Danny’s book came out and they said he was signing one day near where I was living that is the fastest I’ve ever gotten somewhere. Tebow is great, but something about Danny that makes him stand out.
 

soflagator

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I have never been an autograph guy, but man when Danny’s book came out and they said he was signing one day near where I was living that is the fastest I’ve ever gotten somewhere. Tebow is great, but something about Danny that makes him stand out.

That’s exactly my feelings as well. Probably a little bit of generation bias, but he’s hands down the best QB we’ve ever had.
 

Swamp Donkey

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That’s exactly my feelings as well. Probably a little bit of generation bias, but he’s hands down the best QB we’ve ever had.
The juxtaposition of Danny playing better in big games and Payton falling apart helped.
 

RiverRat

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Remember being in a Hooters in Atl. before the SECCG watching an unraked Texas beat Nebraska to help put the Gators in the N.C.G. The Gators fans went bat chit crazy twice that day.
Then going to New Orleans and sitting beside some Clowns that bitched about Spurdog running up the score.
It don't get any better that that.
 

Swamp Donkey

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Remember being in a Hooters in Atl. before the SECCG watching an unraked Texas beat Nebraska to help put the Gators in the N.C.G. The Gators fans went bat chit crazy twice that day.
Then going to New Orleans and sitting beside some Clowns that *****ed about Spurdog running up the score.
It don't get any better that that.
Fuchs all clowns.

Especially the hoes.
 

CGgater

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Remember being in a Hooters in Atl. before the SECCG watching an unraked Texas beat Nebraska to help put the Gators in the N.C.G. The Gators fans went bat chit crazy twice that day.
Then going to New Orleans and sitting beside some Clowns that *****ed about Spurdog running up the score.
It don't get any better that that.

Yeah, because booby was NEVER guilty of pummeling William & Mary, Sanford, etc to the tune of 73-3…. Clowns gonna clown…
 

Double Gator Dad

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Here’s my 1996 story.

I was living in Atlanta at the time and my oldest son, who was 10 at the time, and I had tickets for the SECCG so we decided to attend the FanDay event held the afternoon of the game. The Georgia Dome complex was full of Florida and Alabama fans and my son and I were waiting in line to kick field goals with two Bama fans in front of us.
About 20 yards away there was a very small TV showing the Texas/Nebraska game and there were at least 200 gator fans stacked up around the small TV.
Suddenly the 200 fans roared like nothing I have ever heard and we knew something good had happened.
One of the Bama fans went over to see and as he walked back to us we knew it was good for UF. Bama fan told us about the Texas fourth down conversion and then declared that Bama was screwed because they figured that their only hope was if Florida was sleepwalking through the game.
My son and I knew that good things were going to happen and we were not disappointed. I will never forget the sound those gator fans made at that moment. It sounded like thousands of people.
My son and I talk about that day all the time.
 

soflagator

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Here’s my 1996 story.

I was living in Atlanta at the time and my oldest son, who was 10 at the time, and I had tickets for the SECCG so we decided to attend the FanDay event held the afternoon of the game. The Georgia Dome complex was full of Florida and Alabama fans and my son and I were waiting in line to kick field goals with two Bama fans in front of us.
About 20 yards away there was a very small TV showing the Texas/Nebraska game and there were at least 200 gator fans stacked up around the small TV.
Suddenly the 200 fans roared like nothing I have ever heard and we knew something good had happened.
One of the Bama fans went over to see and as he walked back to us we knew it was good for UF. Bama fan told us about the Texas fourth down conversion and then declared that Bama was screwed because they figured that their only hope was if Florida was sleepwalking through the game.
My son and I knew that good things were going to happen and we were not disappointed. I will never forget the sound those gator fans made at that moment. It sounded like thousands of people.
My son and I talk about that day all the time.

Pretty good story. My whole family was there but I was 16 and chasing girls all over the state, so declined. I started watching some of the SECCG at a house party in St. Augustine and then finished it on a 24 inch tv at a Daytona Burger King. Maybe slightly less cool of a story.
 

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